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Add more interesting facts below by clicking on "add comment":

1215 The Magna Carta, also called the Magna Carta Libertatum (Great Charter of Freedoms) is issued in Great Britain to give   certain rights, respect laws, and limit the power of the king.

         http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/magna_carta.htm

1478 The Spanish Inquisition is established by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile.

        http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/557573/Spain/70387/The-Spanish-Inquisition

1492 All Jews are expelled from Spain.

        http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/1492-jews-spain1.asp

1543 Nicolaus Copernicus publishes On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, proving that that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun.

       http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/copernicus.shtml

1580 The Ute Indians of present-day Colorado get the horse from the Spanish, and they have greater freedom of movement in both mountains and plains.

        https://www.southernute-nsn.gov/history/chronology/

1619 The first 20 African slaves are sold to settlers in Virginia as "indentured servants."

        http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/timeline/early_01.html

1628 The Petition of Right is a document that was designed to remind the King of England that he was not above the law, and of citizens’ rights as described in the Magna Carta.

        http://billofrightsinstitute.org/resources/educator-resources/americapedia/americapedia-documents/petition-of-right/

1633 Galileo sentenced by the Inquisition to house arrest for believing in the theories of Copernicus.

                http://galileo.rice.edu/

1660 Mary Dyer was hanged in Boston for defying a Puritan law banning the Quaker religion in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

        http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web03/features/bio/B06.html

1675 The modern pocket watch is invented by Christian Huygens.

         http://www.historyofwatch.com/watch-history/history-of-pocket-watches/

1739 Slaves revolt in Stono, South Carolina

        http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/sep09.html

1754 Dorothea Erxleben, in Germany, becomes the first female doctor.

                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search/Timeline_of_women%27s_rights

1777 All states in the U. S. take away the right of women to vote.

        http://www.nwhp.org/Legacy/timeline.html

Thomas Paine: (1738 - 1805)

Thomas Paine, an 18th century writer was an avid supporter of independence from Britain. The author of essays and pamphlets like "Rights of Man" and "The Age of Reason" that encouraged liberty he promoted his cause to anyone that would listen. A man of little education he still took up reading and writing which would help him in his later years. He suffered heartache when he lost his wife and newborn during childbirth. His professional life also suffered numerous setbacks like losing his corset business that his father had started. His first political piece was a pamphlet on the need for higher pay for excise officers, which he worked as. He was soon fired after hanging out copies of his work. Just as he began to lose hope he met Benjamin Franklin who encouraged him to move to America. He landed in November of 1774 where he worked as an editor for the Pennsylvania Magazine. This helped launch his political involvement where he began writing under different names about the issues that plagued him and society. His most popular piece was entitled "Common Sense" that expressed his concerns for America if they did not break free from Britain. The piece created a stir among citizens who began to realize the importance of freedom. He is noted for helping pave the road for the Declaration of Independence.

Quote

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Who said it?

Welcome to 1776 and the fight for LIBERTY!

Liberty isn’t just about colonial America’s fight for freedom from the British.

It’s about standing up for all sorts of things—Freedom of Speech, Women’s Rights, the Abolition of Slavery, and more, always more.

Fighting for liberty has been around since human beings crawled out of the forest. It’s everywhere and in every time period in history. It’s in Asia and Africa and Europe and the Americas. It’s seamstresses fighting for better conditions after the Triangle Factory Fire in 1911. It’s Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians standing up to the U.S. government after the Sand Creek Massacre. It’s Japanese Americans demanding an apology after being thrown into concentration camps during World War II. It’s the French Revolution, and Mexican Independence, and the Indian caste system…

Phew! That’s a lot to cover. We have to jump in somewhere, right? Let’s get our feet wet with 1776!

PS: As a citizen of Liberty 4All, please abide by standard rules of courtesy. Bottom line: please be respectful of others. (For more info, check out the information in the lower right.)

Liberty Bell

 What a great icon this bell is. We can’t exactly see liberty, but we have this bell that represents such a powerful concept.

The Liberty Bell was made in 1753 for use at the State House in Pennsylvania, to replace one only two years older that cracked. Did you know that it weighs about 2000 pounds? It’s made mostly of copper, but tin, lead, zinc, silver, and gold are in the mix, too. The inscription on it reads:  “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

Over the years, the bell was used to alert people to public announcements, and to remind people in the 1830s of the evils of slavery. A small crack appeared on the bell around 1846 when it was rung in honor of George Washington’s birthday. That crack got wider the next time the bell was rung, so it hasn’t been rung since. That didn’t stop it from going on the road, though. The Liberty Bell traveled all over the country after the Civil War until 1915 to help remind people from both sides that liberty is our common goal.

YOUR Turn 

(Type in the Comment box below) What other object can you think of that represents the idea of liberty or freedom? Give us five clues to guess what the object is that you have in mind.

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (1731-1802) 

Originally from a successful, if not wealthy family, Martha Dandridge was well educated as well as trained in the intricacies of running a large household.  She married Daniel Parke Custis, the heir to one of the most prominent families in Virginia, and she presided over formal dinner parties and balls, maintained the household, and became the mother of four children, two of whom lived to adulthood. They used over 300 slaves to maintain their property and over 17,500 acres of land where they grew and exported tobacco. And then her husband grew ill and died.  Shortly after, she met and married George Washington. With the coming of the War Martha became a symbol of patriotism. She was committed to the cause. Her dedication to the fighters of the war would earn her the title, “Lady Washington.”

Quote: 

“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below): 

Tell about a time when you had to act like a role model. What was the pressure to set an example like? Did you do it well?

Paul Revere (1735-1818)

Much of what you’ve heard about Paul Revere is true. He was indeed a silversmith, he took part in the Boston Tea Party, and he set up a system of lanterns and rode through the countryside with other patriots to warn the minutemen of a British invasion. That ride earned Mr. Revere folk hero status.

What you might not know is that he founded the first patriot spy network on record. This group was known as the “mechanics” or “Liberty Boys,” and they spied on British soldiers. 

Engraving by Paul Revere. In addition to his work in gold and silver, Revere created illustrations and engravings. Much of his work art spoke to his passion for the fight for liberty.

YOUR Turn (click on add comment below)

Like Paul Revere, be creative to show your fight for liberty of some sort. Write a poem or lyrics to a song below. Or go to your own Wall, to create a drawing or painting or upload a song (mp3) or a video via YouTube.

Mary Ludwig Hays “Molly Pitcher” McCauley (1754-1832)

This woman was spectacular! During the American Revolutionary War’s Battle of Monmouth, Mary Hays carried pitchers of water back and forth to soldiers to drink and cool their cannons, earning her the nickname “Molly Pitcher.” After her husband collapsed she dropped her pitcher and took over his position at a cannon. It was reported that during the battle a cannon ball fired by the enemy actually passed between her legs. Still, she continued firing. 

YOUR Turn: 

Can you remember a time then you dropped everything without thinking to help someone? How did it turn out? Was it the right thing to do?

General Cornwallis (1738-1805)

Lord Charles Cornwallis was born on on December 31st, 1738. He was an English general and a member of Parliament. He fought in both the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution. He served under instruction from General William Howe during the battle of Long Island, the New Jersey campaigns, and in the battle of Brandywine. After becoming the second in command to Sir Henry Clinton, he lost the battle at Princeton, which Clinton faulted him for. His biggest loss was a 3 week siege at YorkTown on October 19th, 1781 where he was forced to surrender, ending the war.

Quote 

“A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life.”

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment below)

 Talk about a time when others may have thought of you as a “failure”. How did you overcome that label?

Dolley Payne Todd Madison (1769-1849)

By all accounts Dolley Madison was a charming woman whose skills in conversation and diplomacy, along with her graciousness as a hostess greatly enhanced her husband’s reputation and presidency. James Madison served as Secretary of State for Thomas Jefferson, and as president from 1809 to 1817. Although James, her second husband, was almost twenty years older, they complemented each other well. She once wrote her husband, “our hearts understand each other.”

Quote

"There is one secret, and that is the power we have in forming our own destinies."

 YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

Can you think of a time when diplomacy was more important than the words being spoken. 

The Iroquois

The Iroquois were not really a tribe but a confederacy of five tribes [ a sixth tribe joined later].   These five tribes lived in the Eastern Woodlands, around New York.   Because these tribes were united, they could be a formidable [strong] enemy or friend.   In the French and Indian War, the Iroquois Confederacy were important allies for us [the English colonists].   The Iroquois helped us defeat the French in a war that ended up giving us all the land east of the Mississippi River.

But it was really the way these tribes were able to get along and the way they set up their government that had the most impact on us.   Important colonists like Ben Franklin, admired  the Iroquois Confederacy.   Each tribe ran its own affairs, but they met together to settle arguments between tribes and to fight against any enemy.   This is what a confederacy is all about.   Franklin thought that the thirteen English colonists should have a confederacy, just like the Iroquois.   Franklin also admired the way the Iroquois ran their meetings - it was totally democratic - anyone was allowed to speak.   Our first form of government was a confederacy too.  

When we united as one country and wrote the Constitution, we borrowed ideas from the Iroquois again.   The Preamble to the Constitution - "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility ..." - was written just like the pledge that had united the five tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy. 

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

Often historical milestones consist of an aggregate of events and people who preceded those accomplishments. For example, how many people are aware that the Founders fashioned concepts not only from the Magna Carta, The English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence, as well as from the Iroquois Nation. Can you think of an example where credit isn’t usually given to another important accomplishment?

Hi Again!

We invite you to add more interesting facts below by clicking on "add comment":

1815 A small group of African Americans sails from the U.S. to Sierra Leone to escape slavery and the limitations imposed on blacks in America.

        http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/libhtml/liberia.html

1836 Massachusetts creates the first state child labor law, saying that children under 15 working in factories have to attend school for at least 3 months per year.

        http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/us_history.html

1833 Slavery is abolished in England.

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/antislavery_01.shtml

1838 The Cherokee people were forced out of their lands east of the Mississippi River, and made to march to designated lands in Oklahoma in what is known as the Trail of Tears.

        http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1567.html

1849 Elizabeth Blackwell was the first American woman to earn a medical degree.

        http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/elizabeth-blackwell-becomes-the-first-woman-doctor-in-the-united-states/

1849 Harriet Tubman escapes slavery.

        http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html

1851 Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is published.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick

1864 Colorado Territory militia attacked and destroyed a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho in Colorado Territory, killing and mutilating an estimated 70–163 Indians, most of whom were women and children.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Creek_massacre

1866 Alfred Nobel invents dynamite.

        http://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/timeline/

1869 Congress passes the Fifteenth Amendment giving African American men the right to vote.

        https://www.aclu.org/timeline-history-voting-rights-act

1872 Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for president in the United States.

        http://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-should-know-about-victoria-woodhull

1882 The Chinese Exclusion Act restricted immigration of the Chinese to the U.S.

                http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-exclusion-act

1885 In Rock Springs, Wyoming, 28 Chinese miners are killed and 15 are wounded in anti-Chinese riots.

        http://www.densho.org/sitesofshame/timeline.xml

1893 A U.S. backed coup removes Queen Liliuokalani from the Hawaiian thrown, and Hawaii becomes a U.S. territory in 1900

                http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/americans-overthrow-hawaiian-monarchy

1897 The book Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is published.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula

1903 Over 1200 Mexican and Japanese farm workers organize the first farm workers’ union, the Japanese-Mexican Labor Association (JMLA), in California.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxnard_Strike_of_1903

1908 The electric washing machine is invented, speeding this type of housework.

        http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_and_the_magic_washing_machine

1911 Fire breaks out Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York, killing 145 workers.

                http://www.history.com/topics/triangle-shirtwaist-fire

1914 National guard troops open fire on the Ludlow colony of coal miners and their families in southern Colorado, resulting in the deaths of 20 people, including 11 children and 2 women.

                http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2014/04/the-ludlow-massacre-still-matters.html 

1920 Women win the right to vote in the United States.

                http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/suffrage/history.htm

1924 Native Americans win the right to vote in the United States.

                http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/elections/voters9.html

1928 Octaviano Larrazolo of New Mexico becomes the first Latino U.S. Senator.

                http://www.tolerance.org/latino-civil-rights-timeline

1939 John Steinbeck publishes his novel The Grapes of Wrath, drawing attention to the plight of farm workers in California.

        http://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/512774/Critical-Analysis-of-The-Grapes-of-Wrath-by-John-Steinbeck/

1947 Jackie Robinson is the first African American to play in the majors as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

        http://www.jackierobinson.com

1948 Policy of apartheid is established in South Africa, keeping blacks and whites separate by law.

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/apartheid/

1948 President Harry S. Truman orders the end of segregation in the American armed forces.

        http://www.archivesfoundation.org/documents/executive-order-9981-ending-segregation-armed-forces/

1949 Fair Labor Standards Act directly prohibits child labor for the first time.

                http://stopchildlabor.org/?p=1795

1954 School segregation ends in the United States after the Brown v.s the Board of Education ruling in Topeka, Kansas.

        http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_brown.html

1956 Supreme Court rules that bus segregation is illegal.

                http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/supreme-court-outlaws-bus-segregation/

1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act.

        http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/

1968 The American Indian Movement is started in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

        http://www.pbs.org/itvs/alcatrazisnotanisland/timeline.html

1971 Women get the right to vote in Switzerland.

                http://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/chronology-womens-right-vote-switzerland.html

1978 The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is passed in the U.S. prohibiting discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace.

                http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/sex-pregnancy-discrimination.html

Powder Your Party Wig and Join the Masque Ball

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/avatarmaker-liberty-1776/id861360161?mt=8

Welcome!

Want to stroll this Wall in character? You came to the right place. In the Join Form (or in Settings for logged in users), you can use preloaded Founding Mom and Dad avatars. If you have an iPhone or iPad, download the FREE AvatarMaker~Liberty~1776 app. You will be able to insert your selfie into the portraits of, say, Martha Washington or Thomas Jefferson. There are many more!!!! Then, decked out circa 1776, step back here to interact with American champions of freedom. As you continue down the path, you will meet others and learn about some who have fought for various types of liberty into the current day. We look forward to collecting and incorporating your stories too - experiences based on the struggles for economic, gender-base, social, and political liberties, among others. Your stories of personal challenges can run beside the heroes of the past.

Tips to using the App

When you open the app you have a few options to select from like Make My Own Mask, Make an Avatar, My Avatars, and previewing All Uploaded Avatars.

Tips to remember for each selection:

Make My Own Mask: Making your own mask means you can create your own image cutout just like the masks already provided. Once shared you and your friends can upload your photos into them. Have your best friend upload her face into yours! The possibilities are endless.

Rules are easy. Take a quick snapshot of yourself or upload a photo from your phone's gallery. Here’s the fun part. Rub your finger across your face. No, no not your real face. The one on the app. Outline the curve of your face and fill in the middle. You’ll know you’re doing it right if a black and white checkered pattern appears. Once satisfied click share or save.

·       Share:  This brings you to a screen where you can name the mask, give it a title, and a description. Login in with Facebook or GraffitiWall to upload your creation for later use! By Sharing you’re allowing others to use your mask too!

·       Save: Saving your mask is the same process but instead of uploading it, it will be saved for your use only.

Make an Avatar: Making an avatar is super simple. When you choose this option you will be allowed to either take a quick snapshot or upload a photo from your phone gallery. Then you will have a variety of characters to select from to collage your selfie into. Click your favorite one and you are ready to start creating.

·       Pinch/Twirl/Edit your Selfie: You’ll have an editing toolbox where you can adjust the opacity, brightness, gamma, red tint, green tint, blue tint, position, size and direction of your photo so it aligns perfectly with the mask behind. Hint: tap on all the toolbox’s text and icons and it will reveal more options.  Also, for real finessing, use your fingers to pinch and twirl your photo to make it match up to the face.

·       Toggle Tip: The toggle button enables you to switch back and forth from your photo layer to the mask layer you’ll be uploading into. This gives you the option of squeezing, pinching, resizing your mask to fit your photo. Or the other way around! Don’t worry if your photo isn’t showing up. It’s in there somewhere. The masks are like onions with plenty of layers, and in this case, won’t make you cry. Use the toggle to switch to your image and start scrolling and moving it around until it appears in the proper place.

Hit done when ready to move on!

Social Sharing and adding to the Liberty4All GraffitiWall: You can upload and share via Facebook, Twitter, email, SMS, or add it to your account on the Liberty4All GrafittiWall. PS. Upload to GraffitiWall to keep the fun going since others can view, rate and comment on it via the app’s All Uploaded Avatars. And you can use all your uploaded avatars here (continuously change personas and costumes) on the Liberty4All Wall and interact with other history lovers across the country.

James Madison: (1751 - 1836)

“Jemmie”. Only weighing in at 100 pounds this Princeton graduate is known as the “Father of the Constitution” due to his attributes in writing it. A protege of Thomas Jefferson, he realized his talent was better suited for politics than war. Born in Port Conway, Virginia, Madison became the fourth president of the US. His presidency included events like the War of 1812 and the attack on the White House by British troops in 1814.His main contribution is his work on the Constitution during the summer of 1787. He was also the leader of the Democratic- Republican party. He did have a series of issues to battle such as a nervous disorder that made him sickly looking.

Quote

“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

In 1787, Madison represented Virginia at the Constitution convention. He was a Federalist at heart, and therefore campaigned for a strong federal government. He expressed his ideas of forming a three-part federal government, consisting of executive, legislative and judicial branches. To prevent abuse of power from any one group, the new structure included a system of checks and balances. Do you think this system works in practice? If yes or no, explain your reasoning.

Benjamin Franklin: (1706 - 1790)

Inventor, writer, scientist, and diplomat, Ben Franklin was not one to sit on the couch and twiddle his thumbs. He experimented with lightening (which almost killed him), invented bifocals, and wrote words of wisdom that still resonate today. Here's one:  "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Franklin played a major role in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Inspired by the Iroquois tribe and the confederacy they had developed, Franklin insisted on equal participation (by men) in the democratic process.

Quote:

"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself." 

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

Combine your inner inventor and fighter for liberty. Tell us what thing you would design to give people more freedom. For instance, entrepreneurs have made clean water more easily available in poorer areas of the world to free people up to do more in their own communities than walk miles to fetch water every day. What problem would you tackle?

Phillis Wheatley: (1753 - 1784)

Phillis Wheatley was America's first published black author. Not only was she a talented poet, but she also acted as a voice for abolitionists. When she was seven she was kidnapped in Senegal and bought to Boston on a slave ship. A man named John Wheatley bought her to be a servant to his wife, but given her quick wit, they soon scrapped that plan. Seeing that she had a special gift the Wheatleys taught Phillis to read and write. She soon mastered Latin and Greek and began writing poetry. Eventually her first book of poems was published in England. She was later recognized by Benjamin Franklin, and she wrote a letter and poem in support of George Washington. Despite her successes, once the Wheatleys died, Phillis’s life became difficult. She died at thirty-one, having failed to raise the funds to have her second book of poems published.

Quote (poem)

“in every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance.”

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

George Washington (1732-1799)

You already know him as the father of America—great military leader during the Revolution, the nation’s first president, and well respected by almost everyone. You’ve probably also heard about his dental issues that plagued him all his life. As a matter of fact, by the time he was elected president, Washington had only one of his own teeth still working. But did you know he had a dog named Sweet Lips? Or that he was the wealthiest president ever? He would be worth more than $500 million today.

Quote

“Liberty” was on the lips of all Americans as they prepared to sever their ties to England. George Washington said:

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

Lopsided Battle at Sea

At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, it was Brits: 131 ships to American colonists: 0. That’s right, zip. No ships. And that makes sense, right? Why would the Americans have ships if they didn’t even have a government or a navy? The Continental Congress realized they needed to act, so they voted on authorizing a small Continental Navy on October 13, 1775, under the leadership of a merchant seaman named Esek Hopkins. (He also happened to be the brother of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Stephen Hopkins.)

He was instructed to engage the enemy in Chesapeake Bay, but rather than risk his new fleet, instead sailed to Nassau in the Bahamas. There, he captured munitions from the British that the Americans needed to fight on land. At first he was applauded for this move, but Hopkins’s power decreased rather quickly. The Continental Congress soon realized that it was more effective to allow privately owned ships—and there were thousands of them—to face off against the British Navy than it was to try to build a Navy in the middle of the war.

Tell Your Own Story (click on "add comment") 

Tell us about a time when you were up against a more powerful person or group, and you came out on top, not by being stronger, but by being clever.

King George III (1738 - 1820)

There is more to King George than his failures in the American Revolution. He may have suffered from the disease porphyria, which causes fits of madness. He also faced many other challenges throughout his life, including the death of his father and his siblings. He also had a learning disability. It is said that he couldn’t read until age eleven. Despite his struggles he remained determined to learn. Still, historians comment on his lack of leadership and intelligence. The turmoil he faced after imposing higher taxes in America started to lead to fits of rage, and the stress of losing the Revolutionary War had a major impact on his mental health. King George took a bad turn and spent the majority of his last few months in complete pain and confusion

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

News events and corresponding personalities can be portrayed in multiple lights depending on the "facts" that are selected. Consider an important event in history, the news or your life and present it from different points of view.

 Thomas Jefferson: (1743 - 1826)

The main author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United State, Thomas Jefferson devoted much of his life to his young country.

In addition to politics, he loved science and innovation. His prized possession was a rotating stand that could hold five books at once! Talk about getting every angle of the story. He even had a passion for archeology. It wasn’t all fun and games with Jefferson though. He was a complicated man. For example, Jefferson stated until the day he died that he was opposed to slavery, but he also believed that slaves could not be set free in this country but returned to Africa.. He predicted that the struggle over slavery in America would eventually lead to civil war.

Quote

"The free communication of thoughts and of opinions is one of the most precious rights of man: any citizen thus may speak, write, print freely, except to respond to the abuse of this liberty, in the cases determined by the law."

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below to type your thoughts or click on the red dot to jump to YOUR Wall to post media.)

Look around your house, classroom, or office, and find something you use every day that could be improved. Now, like Jefferson, invent a device that would make your life easier. Draw it on your wall, or post a video of you creating or using your invention.

American Flag
We’ve all heard the story of Betsy Ross designing and making the original American flag. It’s a great story, especially if you’re looking for heroes of the revolution. Unfortunately, it’s also most likely untrue. The story originally came from Betsy Ross’s grandson who made the claim in 1870 in a paper he presented to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, at a time when the country was all charged up about the 100^th Anniversary of the United States of America.

YOUR Turn

Type in the Comment Box below: This brings us to the question of what history really is. How do we know what really happened? Have do we verify information? Most people probably want to know the real story, not the made-up tale that sounds good. Can you think of any stories in history or in your own family (not too personal, please) that maybe aren’t quite true, or that have been exaggerated over the years? 

Abigail Adams (1744-1818)

Known as “Nabby” to her sister and others, her father taught her at home because she was ill too often to go to school. Abigail was well educated nonetheless. She married John Adams in 1764, and he became president of the United States in 1797. Since he was gone for long periods of time the couple wrote over 1,100 letters to each other. Ms. Adams died of typhoid when she was 74 years old. Just seven years later, her son John Quincy Adams became president of the United States.

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Abigail Adams believed in equal rights for women. She wrote to her husband: "I long to hear that you have declared an independency—and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make. I desire you would remember the ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves

bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation".

YOUR Turn

(Click on "add comment" below) Many years passed in our nation’s history before women were given the right to vote. Can you think of another example in your life or your community's that took years to make right? 

Benedict Arnold: (1741 - 1801)

At the beginning of the Revolutionary War Benedict Arnold was an accomplished an American general. He helped capture the British position at Ft. Ticonderoga in 1775, and the next year he helped keep the British out of New York at the Battle of Lake Champlain. In spite of these and other efforts, Arnold never achieved the fame he thought he deserved, so he sold out to the British. The British promised 20,000 pounds and a command in the British Army in return for his agreeing to turn over the U.S. post at West Point.  This was a move he later regretted.

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“Let me die in this old uniform in which I fought my battles. May God forgive me for ever having put on another.”

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

Native Americans: Peace or Not

With the crisis of the Revolution in the 1760’s, Native Americans had to pick a side, the patriot cause or the loyalist cause. Caught in the middle they also had to figure out how to hold onto what they had including land and trade access.

YOUR Turn (click on "add comments" below)

Have you ever witnessed a situation where someone was mistreating someone else? How did you respond to what you saw?

Star Spangled Banner

Try to picture the situation attorney Francis Scott Key found himself in on September 13, 1814. It’s the War of 1812, and the British and Americans are at war again. This time it’s about Britain’s efforts to limit U.S. trade, and America’s attempts to expand its territory, among other things.

A week earlier, Key had boarded a British ship to try to gain the freedom of a friend who had been arrested. They were allowed to return to their own vessel, but not to go anywhere, lest they alert the Americans of their plans.

So here Key watches from the deck of the ship as bombs explode and the sky turns red. The Capitol, the Treasury, and the President’s house in Washington, D.C. are all destroyed. Key is convinced the United States will fall, as he writes the words that will become the Star Spangled Banner. But when the smoke clears in the morning, it’s the American flag, not the British Union Jack, flying over the Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.

YOUR Turn 

(Type on "add comment" below) Compose a national anthem and write the lyrics below. 

(Go to your personal Wall to) Record yourself singing the national anthem or playing it on an instrument of your choice. Then post your recording to your Wall. 

Deborah Sampson: (1760 - 1827)

She believed so strongly in the right for freedom that Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man, took the name Robert Shurtlieff, and fought in the American Revolution for three years. She endured harsh weather conditions, cannon fire, manual labor, and sword wounds, all the while hiding her gender from the army, until she contracted an illness and ended up unconscious in the hospital. Deborah received a dishonorable discharge from the army on October 23, 1783, and returned to her home in Massachusetts, where she married and eventually had three children. At her death, her husband petitioned the government for pay as the spouse of a soldier, and due to Deborah’s “female heroism, fidelity and courage,” the money was awarded.

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“I swerved from the accustomed flowery path of female delicacy, to walk upon the heroic precipice of feminine perdition!”

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

Sexism is still a problem in the United States and much of the world. Was there ever a time when you felt discriminated against because of your gender? How did you handle it? Would you handle it the same way today or would you hope to react differently?

John Adams: (1735 - 1826)

John Adams was one of the founding fathers of the United States. A Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress he fought for a liberty for America. He had a role in in the Declaration of Independence and later on became the second president. His most outstanding work however, is his time spent on trial defending the men who started the Boston Massacre. On March 5, 1770 British men killed five colonists. Sparked by the tension of the tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts, the men lashed out. Controversy ensued when John Adams agreed to defend the perpetrators. Defending the men put his family and wellbeing at great risk but he continued on despite the possible outcomes. Why would he choose to put his life and career on the line like that? Some argue he did it because he valued the law over his own beliefs. Everyone has a right to a fair trial. Others are skeptical in thinking that he only did it to be remembered as someone who wouldn’t let his personal opinions hinder the regulations of the law. Was it coincidental that he was the first choice in line for an open seat on Boston’s legislature a few months later?

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“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.”

 YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below)

Should leaders follow their own convictions or submit to public opinion?

Nathan Hale: (1755 - 1776 )

A lieutenant in the Continental Army, young Nathan Hale volunteered to cross British lines in the Revolutionary War to spy on enemy movements and intentions. He was soon found out by the British, and denied his requests for a priest or a bible, before he was summarily executed the following day, September 22, 1776.

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"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." 

YOUR Turn (click on "add comment" below to type in your thoughts or click on the red dot to jump to YOUR Wall.)

Who is the bravest person you know? Jump over to your own page to upload a photo of and give this person the recognition they deserve.